Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust join UK-wide social media campaign.

As part of its commitment to further improve patients' experiences, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is pledging its support to a major campaign which has become a social media phenomenon.

The trust is rolling out the national "Hello, My Name Is..." campaign - www.hellomynameis.org.uk - in its health services in North Tyneside and health and social care services in Northumberland which encourages all staff, regardless of role, to introduce themselves to patients and service users.

It is recognised that this is a small gesture and personal touch that makes a significant difference to compassionate care.

To kick-start the campaign in Northumbria Healthcare, "Hello, My Name Is…" founder Dr Kate Granger will visit the trust tomorrow to give a speech to more than 100 nurses who care for patients on the frontline and have a mentoring role in teaching, guiding and inspiring other healthcare staff.

Dr Granger, a registrar from Yorkshire specialising in elderly medicine, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, launched the campaign after a hospital stay last summer when she found that many staff did not introduce themselves before delivering care.

Determined to do something about it, Kate and her husband initiated a Twitter campaign with the mission to get as many members of NHS staff as possible to pledge to introduce themselves to their patients.

In the last year, the campaign has had over 56 million contacts on social media and gained widespread support including from Prime Minister David Cameron, Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt, Labour leader Ed Miliband and chef Michael Roux as well as NHS professionals across the country.